Our Christian president forgot about Easter

[Kramer]

http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2011/04/25/easter-greeting/

What? No Easter Greeting?

by Keith Koffler on April 25, 2011, 11:11 am

Just when I thought the current team running the White House might have used up all its allotted mistakes comes word that President Obama failed to issue either either an Easter or a Good Friday greeting to the nation.

Now, let’s forget for a moment that these greetings, which presidents issue on many holidays and commemorations of events, are largely perfunctory and symbolic gestures that nobody cares about.

Until there’s a problem with them.

Fox News first caught the blunder and put it into context that makes the omission insulting to Christians. The mistake is odd enough to call into question just what Obama’s priorities are.

    By comparison, the White House has released statements recognizing the observance of major Muslim holidays and released statements in 2010 on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha.

    The White House  . . . did release an eight-paragraph statement heralding Earth Day. Likewise, the president’s weekend address mentioned neither Good Friday or Easter.

Obama, Fox notes, did head out to church yesterday and held an Easter prayer breakfast at the White House last week.

Obama is on a roll for religious holiday greeting screw ups. Fox News writes:

    In 2010, Obama was criticized for releasing an all-inclusive Easter greeting. He reached out to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and people of no faith at all in a statement about a holiday that is uniquely Christian.

And as I noted last week, the president released a Passover greeting this month that compared the ancient Jewish exodus from Egypt to the Arab political awakening this year, which would be a beautiful thing if most Arabs didn’t seek Israel’s destruction.

The president is, of course, hosting the Easter Egg Roll at the White House today. But Easter isn’t really about rolling eggs on a manicured lawn, now is it?

[Plane]

http://theobamadiary.com/

http://news.change.org/stories/a-white-house-easter-message-to-end-gay-adoption-bans

http://lonelyconservative.com/2011/03/thank-goodness-white-house-easter-egg-roll-finally-going-green/


http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/04/19/easter-prayer-breakfast

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/19/remarks-president-easter-prayer-breakfast

 April 19, 2011 Remarks by the President at Easter Prayer Breakfast

   To all the faith leaders and the distinguished guests that are here today, welcome to our second annual -- I’m going to make it annual, why not?  (Laughter and applause.)  Our second Easter Prayer Breakfast.  The Easter Egg Roll, that’s well established.  (Laughter.)  The Prayer Breakfast we started last year, in part because it gave me a good excuse to bring together people who have been such extraordinary influences in my life and such great friends.  And it gives me a chance to meet and make some new friends here in the White House.

I wanted to host this breakfast for a simple reason -– because as busy as we are, as many tasks as pile up, during this season, we are reminded that there’s something about the resurrection -- something about the resurrection of our savior, Jesus Christ, that puts everything else in perspective.

We all live in the hustle and bustle of our work.  And everybody in this room has weighty responsibilities, from leading churches and denominations, to helping to administer important government programs, to shaping our culture in various ways.  And I admit that my plate has been full as well.  (Laughter.)  The inbox keeps on accumulating.  (Laughter.)
 
But then comes Holy Week.  The triumph of Palm Sunday.  The humility of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.  His slow march up that hill, and the pain and the scorn and the shame of the cross.

And we’re reminded that in that moment, he took on the sins of the world -- past, present and future -- and he extended to us that unfathomable gift of grace and salvation through his death and resurrection.

In the words of the book Isaiah:  “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities:  the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

This magnificent grace, this expansive grace, this “Amazing Grace” calls me to reflect.  And it calls me to pray.  It calls me to ask God for forgiveness for the times that I’ve not shown grace to others, those times that I’ve fallen short.  It calls me to praise God for the gift of our son -- his Son and our Savior.

And that’s why we have this breakfast.  Because in the middle of critical national debates, in the middle of our busy lives, we must always make sure that we are keeping things in perspective.  Children help do that.  (Laughter.)  A strong spouse helps do that.  But nothing beats scripture and the reminder of the eternal.

So I’m honored that all of you have come here this Holy Week to join me in a spirit of prayer, and I pray that our time here this morning will strengthen us, both individually as believers and as Americans.  And with that, let me introduce my good friend, Bishop Vashti McKenzie, for our opening prayer.  (Applause.)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/photos-and-video/video/2011/04/25/white-house-press-briefing

[Kramer]

Plane,

Easter Eggs and Bunnies kinda miss the mark when it comes to the meaning of Easter. But staying true to fashion our kid in the WH president celebrates with the other kids. We need an adult in the WH not a child!

[Xavier_Onassis]

The President went to Easter services with his family. He is not a religious figure.

Kramer talking about the president's lack of maturity is one strange topic.

[Plane]

Plane,

Easter Eggs and Bunnies kinda miss the mark when it comes to the meaning of Easter. But staying true to fashion our kid in the WH president celebrates with the other kids. We need an adult in the WH not a child!

      WE are constitutionally prevented from haveing any religious test for government office.
>>>As the government.<<<

      The people have no such restriction on voting as they like to vote.
        If the President offends yo for any reason whatsoever you are within your rights to say so and to vote so.

       Haveing read the speech he gave at the prayer breakfast I am mollified on this score, he is no evangilist but evangilists are almost as unlikely to be elected as are atheists. Most Presidents are not agressively Christian, I only want them to avoid being anti-Christian.

      I don't think BHO fails this time.

[Xavier_Onassis]

It is not a tradition for presidents to proclaim that Easter is here. It never has been. Neither are National Prayer Breakfasts.

This is just more carping from Fox News, that needs to slam the President on a daily basis to keep the yokels a-watching.

[Kramer]

It is not a tradition for presidents to proclaim that Easter is here. It never has been. Neither are National Prayer Breakfasts.

This is just more carping from Fox News, that needs to slam the President on a daily basis to keep the yokels a-watching.

never heard you say this when Bush was in office. I guess it's OK with you when it's Bush but now when it happens to Obama there's something wrong with it. One big difference was Bush never responded but Obama, being insecure, often gets roped in. I don't know if he's just gullible, naive, inexperienced or dumb.

[Xavier_Onassis]

Fox News supported Juniorbush.

Again, Easter statements are not required nor traditional. The President and his family attended Easter services in DC. So he did NOT "forget Easter". Not that being a president required that he pay any attention to Easter at all.